The invention relates to the cell-mediated treatment of liver disease.
Patients who suffer from severe, irreversible liver disease for which other medical and surgical treatments have failed are often candidates for liver transplantation. In children, the most common indications are biliary atresia, a condition which leads to distortion of bile ducts and liver cirrhosis and genetically transmitted metabolic disorders which may lead to hepatic failure and/or cirrhosis. Adult suffering from nonalcoholic or alcoholic cirrhosis as well as liver cancer may be candidates for transplantation.
The existence of an adult liver stem cells remains the subject of controversy. However, stem cells which differentiate into functional mature hepatocytes to reconstitute a diseased liver may be an alternative approach to whole organ transplantation for the treatment of certain liver diseases.